Plate-holding device



Sept. 24, 1929. c. s. ANDREWS 1,729,412

PLATE HOLDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 10, 1925 A TTORA/EY Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE CHAMPE S. ANDREWS, OF NORTH CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR T BOX BLANK CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA'WARE PLATE-HOLDING DEVl'CE Application filed December 10,1925.

The invention relates to a device for pcsitioning, adjusting and permanently holding plates for making impressions, such as printing plates, die plates, embossing plates 5 and the like, to a supporting member, such as a supporting cylinder, and more particularly, to such a device for holding different sizes both in area and thickness and different kinds of impression plates to a supporting member.

It is known that, for most printing presses, paper box and paper products making machines, and similar apparatus, it is usual and accepted trade practice to make the printing plates or other impression plates a separate unit from their supporting cylinders or other supporting members which support said plates.

According to this invention, a plate holding device is provided which may be applied anywhere and in any position on thesupporting surface of a cylinder or other supporting member, and which permits the use of dilferent widths, lengths, areas, dimensions and kinds of printing plates on the same supporting surface or cylinder. This is of great advantage in cases where the same cylinder or supporting member is to be used for different jobs requiring different size plates or different positioning of them on the supporting member, opposed to a fixed or arbitrary plate size or position of same.

On machines, such as paper box or paper products making machines, or printing presses, it is necessary to have each and every impression plate properly adjusted and then securely fastened on the cylinders or supporting members so that the single or several impressions made by the different printing units of the machine shall be repetitively made in exactly the right place on the paper board, blank web or sheet. In practice and technically this is termed register. The plate holding device, according to the invention, is particularly adapted for the quick and necessary temporary adjusting and holding of the impression plate on the supporting surface while it is being manually adjusted to correct and final position. After the impression plate is adjusted to its proper posi- -in' various respects without departure from Serial No. 74,443.

tion and the plate holding devices are screwed down to hold it in that position, a further provision for permanent security of plate position is made whereby the clamping plates of the holding devices may be positively locked. to the supporting surface thereby securely and permanently holding the impression plate to its supporting surface in its exact determined and pro-adjusted position.

The plate holding device, according to the invention, may comprise a clamping plate having an edge adapted to abut the impression plate and adjusting blocks which are movable in slots in the clamping plate for adj us'tably, temporarily and permanently securing the impression plate to the supporting surface. The clamping plates of the several plate holding devices may then be further securely fastened to the supporting surface in any desired manner after the impression plate has been adjusted to its proper position and the clampii'lg plates have been also adj usted to hold the impression plate to the sup porting surface.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of device embodying the invention or from an inspection of the accompanying drawings; and the invention also consists in certain new a and novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, a practical commercial embodiment of the invention is disclosed, but as such illustration is primarily for purposes of disclosure, it will. be understood'that the structure may be modified the broad spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end View of a printing cylinder showing a plurality of printing plates secured to the cylinder by plate holding devices according to the invention;

' Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cylinder shapes, sizes, areas and kinds of plates may be used simultaneously;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing how the plate holding device may co-operate with one form of printing plate to secure the printing plate to the cylinder;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the plate holding device;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the plate holding device showing how it is finally secured to the supporting surface.

In the following description and in the claims parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

Referring now to the drawing, for purposes of illustration a plurality of plate holding devices 4 are shown as clamping a plurality of curved printing plates 3 to a cylinder 1. It will be understood, however, that the device may also be used for securing any kind of impression plate to any kind of supporting surface.

The supporting cylinder which is denoted by 1 may be rotatably supported in any desired manner as by trunnions 2. The printing plates 3, which may be of different shapes and in different positions, may be held thereon by a plurality of plate holding devices 4.

(lo-operating with the printing roll which is made up of the supporting cylinder 1 and printing plates 3 may be a presser roll 5 for holding the web or sheet or substance 6 to be printed firmly against the printing surface, which principle is well understood in the graphic arts.

The plate holding device 4 may comprise a clamping plate 10, which is adapted to rest upon the supporting surface of the cylinder 1, the upper surface of the clamping plate ending in a biting or beveled edge 11. The biting edge 11 is adapted to engage and may abut or bite into the printing plate 3. The type of printing plate shown for purposes of illustration is one which may have a projecting bevel 12 on one or more of its sides. The biting edge 11 may overlie the bevel 12 and thereby provide engagement for holding the impression plate 3 to the supporting surface of the cylinder 1.

The clamping plate 10 may have two spaced slots 13, the length of the slots being perpendicular to the biting edge 11. The side walls 14 and end walls 24 of the slots may be tapered so that they converge from the upper to the lower surface of the clamping plate. Fitting in each of the slots and movable therein may be a rectangular adjustment block or screw collar 15 having its side walls 16 tapered to correspond to the tapered side walls of the slot and its end walls tapered to correspond to the tapered end walls of the slot. The side walls 14 of the slots and the side walls 16 of the adjustment blocks may be roughened like the face of a file so that when the adjustment blocks 15 are drawn down toward the supporting surface the roughened surfaces will insure interlocking engagement between the adjustment blocks and the clamping plate, which may only be released or disturbed by loosening the screw passing through and holding the adjustment block.

Each of the adjustment blocks may have a hole 17 therein through which a machine screw or other fastening device 18 may be passed into the cylinder 1 whereby, when desired, the adjusting blocks may be drawn towards the cylinder so that the roughened tapered surfaces 14 and 16 may be in intimate engagement. The clamping plate 10 and adjustment blocks 15 may be made of different metals so as to insure a biting action between the adjustment blocks and the clamping plate. For instance, the adjustment blocks may be made of steel and the clamping plate of brass or vice Versa.

In order to secure a printing plate 3 to the supporting cylinder 1, the printing plate 3 may first be positioned in approximately its proper place on the supporting cylinder. A

number of theplateholding devices4may then be positioned about the edges or sides of the printing plate. The distance between the plate holding devices will be determined by practice, the size and width of the printing plate being some of the controlling factors.

.The adjustment blocks 15 may be positioned somewhere between the ends of the mortises or slots 13 and holes may be drilled and threaded into the supporting surface of the cylinder 1 in line with the holes 17 of the adjustment blocks and machine screws 18 may be secured into these holes. It will then be seen that by turning down on these machine screws the clamping plate 10 may be securely held in any position. lVhen the screws 18 are loosened the clamping plate 10 may be adjusted to and away from the printing plate 3. Due to the play between the parts the clamping plate 10 may be rotated a small amount relative to the screws 18 to agree with any slight inaccuracy in the sides of the printing plate.

Before the screws 18 through the adjustment blocks 15 are finally tightened with the clamping plates 10 of the several plate holding devices abutting the printing plate 3, the printing plate may be adjusted to its final exact position by tapping or otherwise, the engagement between the roughened tapered surfaces of the adjustment blocks 15 and the clamping plate 10 being such that by tapping the clamping plate it can be made to move relative to the adjustment blocks. WVhen the printing plate is in its desired position the screws 18 through the adjustment blocks 15 may be finally and securely tightened. The clamping plates, which have been made to securely and firmly engage the edge of the printing plate, may now be further and positively locked to the supporting surface by drilling a hole into the supporting cylinder 1 in line with the hole 19 midway between the slots 13. A machine screw 20 may be threaded into this hole, thus serving to positively double lock the plate holding device in final and fixed position.

It will easily be seen that with plate holding devices according to the invention, impression plates may be easily adjusted to proper position on supporting surface. Furthermore, when they are once adjusted, the plate holding devices may be securely locked to the supporting surface, thereby positively preventing accidental movement of the impression plate through movement of the plate holding devices. An additional advantage of the invention is that the plate holding device may be applied anywhere in any position on the supporting surface, thereby allowing the use of different sizes and shapes and position of printing plates on the same supporting surface.

lVhile I have shown and described and have pointed out in the annexed claims certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A plate holding device for securing an impression plate to a supporting surface comprising a clamping plate adapted to rest upon the supporting surface and having its upper surface ending in a biting edge adapted to engage the impression plate, said clamping plate having two spaced parallel slots perpendicular to said edge, each of said slots having its side walls roughened and converging from the upper to lower surface of said clamping plate, an adjusting block in each slot having roughened tapered walls engaging said first walls and slidable relative to said slot, each said adjusting block having a hole adapted to have a fastening device passed therethru into said supporting surface, said clamping plate having a hole between said slots adapted to have a fastening device passed therethru into said supporting surface.

2. A plate holding device for securing an impression plate to a supporting surface comprising a clamping plate adapted to rest upon the supporting surface and having an edge adapted to engage the impression plate, said clamping plate having two spaced parallel slots transverse to said edge, each of said slots having its side walls converging hand.

GHAMPE S. ANDREWVS. 

